RH is certainly quite different from most schools that are discussed more frequently - in a group with Olin, Kettering, Cooper Union, maybe Milwaukee Engineering. Not widely known, not a “brand name” to the general public. I know they flooded me with marketing back when I was in HS but it never interested me.
But after getting a degree/working in engineering, it’s certainly known in the field - the #1 USN ranking for non-PhD programs isn’t an accident.
So concerns about the quality, opportunities, etc., shouldn’t be an issue IMO.
Culture, fit, etc., are certainly very important, and it’s hard for anyone who hasn’t attended to say a lot about it. If one of my kids really liked a school that I didn’t, I’d be sure to have a conversation about my concerns and make the kid hear/understand/discuss the concerns and our different viewpoints. But at the end of the day, I think I would leave it up to the student, barring serious safety concerns. Kids also have to learn to make decision and, over from mistakes. (Though this would have pretty significant financial impacts - make sure the kid knows what you will/won’t contribute in the event of transfer, additional years, etc.).
Given that most RH graduates are engineers, it makes perfect sense that they also have a low loan default rate. Most will go directly into jobs that allow them to pay off their loans.
A school I can’t say I hated but oldest D said was her #1/2 was Northwestern. She loved the campus, the feel and the Lake (in summer). She like the Engineering presentation, I felt it didn’t address the goals she had said were important to her such coop experience (more difficult during quarters vs. semesters). I also didn’t want to drive through Chicago every time we needed to drop her off or pick her up or have to deal with the northern IL winters on those trips. I felt that even if they made it affordable, our middle class kid would have potentially felt our of place. In the end she did not get accepted there and has graduated from Purdue which was her other #1/2. We were elated though we tried to act appropriately disappointed for her when the NU decision came in.
A friend of mine’s son had the same reaction to RH last year. The son really liked it, but the parents weren’t thrilled with it, mostly because of the size and lack of diversity. In the end the son ended up choosing a different school.
I would say to just encourage your child to keep his or her options open and express your concerns about the financial aid/loan aspect. In the meantime, try to get them excited about multiple schools vs. one dream school and suggest that you wait until all acceptances and $$$ decisions are released. This way you can weigh all options that are on the table and make an informed decision from there.
Finances aside, which it sounds like you are addressing, remember that you are many months away from decision time. Her thoughts about the sport and her entire list may shift over time. You can also, hopefully, plan admitted students visits to a couple in the spring…that can help, especially if you are trying to get a feel for campus culture/size (it sounds like the small size and M/F are part of your concerns).
You can also use this time to really try to dig in and research your concerns (like you are doing in this thread). I agreed with my sons choice but had one concern about it so I honed in on that on forums, web sites, books, etc, and on the admitted student visit to allay my concerns. You don’t have to share all this with your D right away. See if you can crystallize what you are concerned about, and then sit on it for a while. Sometimes I think if parents are too pushy with positive or negative opinions, it moves the student in the opposite direction than we want!
If you really think the sport is the deciding factor here, that’s worth a discussion, for sure.
I am just curious what sport she would be able to play at RH. It’s never been a school I’ve thought of when thinking about college sports.
Family member went to RH…loved loved the engineering and courses and faculty and the like. But this kid was very into outdoors activities like hiking and skiing, and just missed all of that at RH. He did transfer after two years and completed his schooling in New England.
What I’m saying is RH doesn’t have to be forever. If your kid goes there and loves it, they can stay. If not, he or she certainly can transfer.
If you’re paying for it, it’s going to be more your decision than his, but you’ll need to to confirm your suspicions with some facts. Obviously, you’ll need to know if you can afford it. Is he doing it for the wrong reason? An example is athe “doctor” dreamer kids coming out of high school, that are dead set on choosing the most “prestigious” premed university (if there is such a thing). Most of those kids end up changing their major after finding out they’re miserable.
Is it in a small college town, and he’s used to being in the city? Co-ed dorm? Some universities have some pretty creepy policies. Do some research and find out what you can. If you can’t find anything bad, and you can afford it, he should be fine.
Your worries may be a moot point if the scholarships don’t come through. I would bite my tongue and continue to explore other schools until you know exactly what RH is offering versus what everyone else is offering, both finance/atmosphere wise. Good luck. These things do tend to work out OK.
That was me and my daughter, virtually every single time. I realized very quickly that I was mainly her “driver”, and should accept that we are two different people, with different ambitions and priorities, and different details that make the difference in our overall happiness.
After not imposing my opinions for the travel months, my perspective was actually valued again when it came to her narrowing her choices after the subsequent accepted students visits. By that point, some of the early expectations and excitement had worn off, and confusion ruled because between several good offers, no clear winner was “jumping out”.
Just like with her HS class schedule, it turned out that she was indeed mature enough to make a choice that truly was right for HER and where SHE ended up being happy - which makes achieving successes so much more likely.
Totally this. They are not locked in to a school for four years (or longer). If they don’t like it, they can transfer. No, it’s not ideal, but it’s certianly not the end of the world.
DH and I are both engineers, and I did a LOT of research about engineering schools for both kids. Our situation was opposite. I was a big fan of RH. DS refused to even consider a visit… his reason - “it is in Terra Haute”.
Fun side story - He did love Harvey Mudd, a similar but more intense school. I liked many things about Mudd, but I happened to mention that the earthquake proof / safe dorm were really ugly … but he had not even noticed. He was smitten with the techie vibe and would have attended if more affordable for us.)
I didn’t particularly like my daughter’s choice FOR ME, but she wanted a smaller school and this one gave her the opportunity to play her sport (and money for that), so it became the perfect fit. For me it was too small and too engineering and too male, but for her it fit. She didn’t care that there were few humanities classes and that the male:female was 65:35, that the domestic students were very white (international students added to the diversity look on campus). It was in a smaller city but close to Orlando/Miami and easy to get to other cities.
After a year or so she did feel the school was small, but overall liked it.
Ironically, my other child just moved to Terra Haute. She doesn’t like it much.
Those who have been around remember me saying that I literally cried when she informed my first choice that she would not be attending (it took me about 2 years to get over it). I felt like a failure as a parent with her first choice but learned to love it because she loved it.